30 Day Challenge
by Viscaria-Flora
Summary: A 30 day challenge in which I write a drabble a day with a prompt based on a single word. With each new chapter comes a different pairing (or set of characters). No warnings to note as of yet.
1. Winter

A message before I start: Your encouragement really means a lot to me. I know I don't take the time to respond to reviews, or thank you personally for reading and bookmarking my work, but it honestly makes my day. I'm so happy to keep writing for people like you guys, and I hope to improve to keep sending you guys out there something new and interesting to read. Thank you all so very much, really! 3 /hugs and kisses for you all/

Anyway, hope you enjoy! I own nothing.

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**This drabble is of Regicideshipping (Vector x Nasch). The prompt is "Winter."**

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It was a really cold winter.

There, amongst the snow, which was built up about a foot or so, were hundreds of thousands of dead bodies strewn across the land. The sun wasn't shining; the sky was blanketed in thick clouds, and it was beyond cold, freezing, to be exact. Nasch stood on a hill overlooking the battlefield, sighing to himself.

How could he let this beautiful land become a frozen graveyard for his people? It made his heart sick and his stomach turn in guilt.

"I'm sorry," he said to no one, hands clenching into fists. "I'm so sorry, everyone..."

"What, for being a terrible king? Damn right, you better be sorry."

Nasch gritted his teeth and spun around, watching as Vector approached him with a twisted smile on his face. "Don't you dare try and tell me who's the terrible king here."

Vector chuckled. "And why not? It was your fault you led these people into war with your absence."

"You're the one who killed all these people!"

"They killed themselves, and they counted on you to lead them to victory. But instead, you led them to their ruin." Vector walked past Nasch and admired the view. "My people knew from the start that I wasn't one who cared much for peace or their safety."

Nasch barely found the energy to suppress a growl in his throat. "You bastard. All of this is a game to you."

Vector looked at him and smirked before gazing back onto the field. "Glad you finally caught on, Your _Majesty_."

The king let a soft sigh escape his lips, and he was just about to turn and leave, until something cold stung his cheek. He paused and looked up, and noticed snowflakes falling from the sky. He grabbed the sides of his cape and wrapped it tighter around himself, already beginning to shiver from the cold.

"Aw, can King Naschie not stand a little snow?" The prince teased, teetering on his heels and humming to himself.

Nasch tossed him a dirty glare. "Shut up." His eyes trailed down Vector's body and to his arms, noticing there were goosebumps along his skin. Something in the back of his mind urged him to speak, and he didn't react fast enough to stop himself from doing so. "Hey, are you cold?"

Vector stopped moving, obviously taken aback by the question. He tilted his head to look at the king without having to turn his body around, mouth slightly agape. "What?"

"You look cold. And your attire doesn't seem to be helping you all that much either."

Vector stared at him in silence, then faced forward again, biting how lower lip. "Why do you care?"

Nasch shrugged. "Just asking a simple question. It's snowing, and we shouldn't stay out here for long. We'll get sick."

The prince felt a small smile tug on his lips, and he shook his head, pivoting on his heels and walking in Nasch's direction. "It doesn't matter, for me, at least."

Nasch arched an eyebrow. "And why do you say that?"

"I have my reasons." He trudged past the king, head lowered a bit so the other could see his grin but not his eyes. "Our war isn't over yet, Nasch. We'll see each other again."

Nasch's slightly narrowed eyes followed the boy. "I won't be looking forward to it."

Vector let out an amused laugh, waving him off. "You know I will, Naschie." He lowered his hand to his side, slowly descending the hill.

Nasch let his cape fall, eyes glued to the floor. Why was he feeling sympathy for Vector? He was a cruel and bloodthirsty murderer who slaughtered people for amusement, regardless of who their ruler was. He was a heartless being, and Nasch hated him with every fiber of his being.

And yet, seeing him shiver made him think twice- reminded him he was still a human. A twisted one, yes, but a human nonetheless. His hesitance to answer Nasch when he asked if he was cold made him even more confused, curious, almost. How would Vector be if he wasn't so set on offing his entire kingdom? Had they met under different circumstances, would they have been friends?

He sighed again, trembling a bit from the cold. "Hey, Vector," he called out to him, waiting until the prince stopped walking to continue, "take care of yourself, alright? Don't get yourself killed before we meet again."

Vector remained still for a good long moment before laughing in bemusement. "If I didn't know any better, Nasch, I'd think you were actually concerned about me."

"Perceive it however you like," Nasch stated flatly, following his footsteps down the snow-covered hill. "I just don't want to hear about a cruel wicked king such as yourself succumbing to a cold."

Vector chuckled again, this time out of amusement. "As if that could ever happen."

"It could," the king stood beside him, looking up at the sky. "This winter seems rather harsh this year."

"Hah. I've seen worse."


	2. Wind

Day 2 of the 30 Day Challenge. I'm hoping none of these are too bad. I tend to write these on the spot with only two hours of actually working on it, rather than the normal 4-6 hour long review of my works before publishing them. Anyway, yeah! Hope you enjoy! 3

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**This drabble is of Dilateshipping (V x Kaito). The prompt is "Wind."**

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There was something about the wind that Kaito loved. He couldn't figure out what it was, exactly, but he knew it was one of his most favorite things besides the starry night sky and space.

Was it the occasional calmness, the sense of tranquility that swept over him and made him feel at peace with everything? Or was it the sometimes roughness of a turbulent gust, which has him giggling like a child when he's nearly knocked over?

He didn't quite know how to answer this question. But what made him think of an answer in the first place?

"Kaito?"

The blonde looked down on his little brother, holding his hand as they walked across the street. "Yes, Haruto?"

Haruto gazed up at him as well, golden eyes glistening in the sunlight. "Why do you like the wind?"

Kaito blinked, glancing up to consider his surroundings before the brothers crashed into anything or anyone. "What makes you ask that?"

"I remember you saying that a long time ago that you like the stars and the wind."

Right. He remembered now.

Kaito gave his brother a smile, stepping off the street and onto the sidewalk. "I don't remember, Haruto. That was a long time ago. I don't even remember what my favorite color was back then."

Haruto looked down on the floor. "Oh, ok."

"What made you think of it in the first place?"

The boy hummed softly to himself before answering, "It's just super chilly today, and it's because of how strong the wind is."

Kaito laughed. "Oh come on, it's not that strong. It's just a little breeze. You're sil- oh!"

He was cut off as he crashed into a tall man in front of him, taking a few steps back and trying not to fall over. He tightened his grip on Haruto's hand, bowing almost immediately so he wouldn't make eye contact with the person he bumped into. "I am so sorry, sir, I didn't look where I was going."

"Kaito?"

The blonde's head immediately snapped back so he could look up. The long silver hair, the blue eyes, the deep voice he knew so well... He was surprised (and maybe a little delighted) to recognize the man before him. "Chris, I..."

Haruto beamed and waved to Chris, rocking back and forth on his feet. "Hi, V. Sorry we bumped into you, Kaito wasn't paying attention to where we were going."

Kaito opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Chris's small laugh. "It's alright. I was just about to say, 'what a pleasant surprise.' What brings you two here?"

"We're gonna go grocery shopping," Haruto chirped happily. "Want to come with us?"

"Haruto, Chris might be busy," Kaito replied with a soft smile, gazing up at his former teacher. "Right, Chris?"

The Arclight son shook his head, pointing behind him. "Actually, I was going to stop by that shop and grab a cup of coffee. Would you two care to join me? My treat."

So generous. Kaito denied to himself about being a little nervous. "Ah, no, that's alright, thank you-"

"Can I have some hot chocolate, please?" The younger Tenjo asked.

Kaito muttered something under his breath with a small sigh, but Chris just chuckled. "Of course. It looks like you can't refuse my offer now, Kaito."

"I'm afraid not," the blonde responded, unable to hide a hint of a smile. "I'll have some tea, then."

"Great," Chris turned around, motioning for the Tenjo boys to follow him. "Follow me. Afterwards, I'll join you two with your shopping. Now, let's go inside before we all catch cold."

Kaito nodded and watched as his mentor turned around, his heart skipping a beat. The way Chris's hair flowed when he moved, cascading down his back like a river of pure silver, with several strands dancing in the breeze as if they were alive; no matter how much the hair moved out of place, it never looked messy, and nor did it allow itself to tangle. It was actually a lovely sight, and one he kept filed away in is memory for as long as he knew him.

And that's when he remembered.

He was reminded again how much he loved the wind.


	3. Simple

Day 3 of the 30 Day Challenge. This is actually a lot of fun. I nearly laughed at the end of this drabble, and it's my own creation. Anyway, pointless rambling aside, let's get to reading!

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**This drabble is of Sharkbaitshipping (Shark x Yuma). The prompt is "Simple."**

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"Does this look too much to you, Shark?"

Shark glanced over to where Yuma stood, eyes widening as he noticed the bundle of things in his arms: four bags of chocolate and various other candies, two stuffed teddy bears, three cards and envelopes, and a balloon with its string clenched tightly between Yuma's teeth. It took all that he had not to laugh or crack a smile, because he just looked so silly. "What is all this, Yuma?"

Yuma nearly giggled, holding the stuff a little higher and speaking through gritted teeth, "Gifts for a friend! Is it too much?"

Shark smirked. "Nah, not if you're like super rich or something. Why so many things, though?"

Yuma stared him down for a moment, then sighed, opening his mouth and letting the balloon fly away. "I want to make the person I'm giving these to feel special. They need to be reminded that they're loved by people from the bottom of their hearts."

Oh God, was Yuma aware at all at how sappy that sounded? The Kamishiro held back the urge to snort, rolling his eyes instead. "Yeah, whatever. But that's just too many things. What would they do with all of it?"

Yuma beamed. "Keep it and be happy, of course! I want to flood them with lots of love."

"You're going to smother them this way, you moron," Shark sighed, walking up to him and opening his arms. "Here, hand me some of that stuff."

The younger boy immediately frowned, holding it away from him. "What are you going to do with it?"

"Take some of it back," he told him flatly, watching Yuma glance down at the gifts with a conflicted look on his face. When he finally complied and dumped most of everything in his arms, Shark began leading him down the aisles where he got each item from, placing most of them back. "If you want to buy someone something to show them how much you care, then just go simple. You don't have to get them the entire store."

Yuma blinked. "Simple? But isn't going 'simple' too little?"

"Not always," Shark put the candy and cards back, looking up to watch the balloon dance along the ceiling. "When you give someone something, it should come from the heart. You can't just measure kindness with a price." He threw him a grin. "If that's the case, then just shower the person in diamonds. Can you do that?"

Yuma laughed, hugging the bears tighter. "Gee, Shark, I never thought you would be an expert at this sort of thing. You seem like the type that would usually hate people."

Shark tossed him a dirty look, making him laugh harder. "Yeah, go ahead and make me sound like some sort of heartless monster, why don't you." He walked over to him and snatched away a bear, heading out of that aisle and into a new one. Yuma followed behind him, stifling his chuckles as the purple-haired boy set the toy back on the shelf. "It's just common sense. Anyone can tell you that."

Yuma nodded, looking down at the last gift in his hand. "Ok, but I'm not happy with giving my friend just a stuffed bear. Can I get a balloon too?"

Shark shrugged. "Whatever, it's your money."

"Awesome! Wait here!" Yuma pivoted on his heels and raced out of the aisle, leaving Shark to shake his head and mutter something under his breath. The boy could be too much to keep up with sometimes. He was a sweetheart, there's no denying that, but an idiot as well. He leaned against the shelf, playing with a paw of one of the stuffed animals as he waited for his friend to return.

Yuma ran back from the aisle beside the one he left Shark in, holding a new balloon in his hand. "I'm back! Let's go pay for these now!"

Shark looked back and eyed the balloon. It looked the exact same as the one he had in his teeth before. "Alright then, lead the way."

"Yes sir!" Yuma saluted to him and raced down to an open register, motioning for him to follow. Shark complied, watching as Yuma scrambled to get his wallet out and pay for the items in his hands (without letting go of either one). He set the money down, exchanged a few words with the cashier, and then skipped outside the store, with Shark following right behind him.

"So," Shark sighed, massaging the back of his neck tiredly. "What next?"

Yuma flashed him a smile. "I'm going to give these to my friend, and then I'm going to go home."

The purple haired boy gave him a nod and turned around. "Alright. I'll see you later then."

"Wait, Shark! Don't go!"

Shark frowned and turned around. "What? Aren't you going to give that stuff to your friend?"

Yuma nodded. "Yeah." He held out the bear and balloon to Shark, wearing the brightest smile he'd ever seen. "Here, these are for you!"

Shark's mouth slightly dropped as he slowly and awkwardly accepted the gifts. "What? Yuma, you didn't have to waste your money to get me these. Why did you?"

"You wanted a simple gift, right? Well, there you go." Yuma rocked back and forth on his feet, humming happily. "Like I said, I wanted to get my friend something to remind them that they're loved, and you look like you've pretty much forgotten about it, Shark." He snickered and began to run off. "Anyway, I'm going home now. See you tomorrow!"

Shark brought himself to wave his friend goodbye and gazed down at his gifts. This was too sweet. He held them closer to himself and fought the blush that threatened to settle on his cheeks, muttering to himself and heading home. He indeed loved the presents, but wouldn't be caught dead holding such silly things in his hands in public. Imagine what that could do to his image?

As if on cue, he heard a holler from a car across the street, and turned to see IV laughing and pointing at him through an open window. God damn it.


	4. Accusation

Holy shoot! I almost missed a day! (Technically I did, but IT'S ONLY THE NEXT DAY WHEN I GO TO SLEEP SO HA IT'S STILL YESTERDAY FOR ME) Anyway, Day 4 of the 30 Day Challenge. I may have fricked this up due to deadlines and whatnot. I finished this at around midnight or so. XD

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**This drabble is of Disqualifyshipping (Shark x IV). The prompt is "Accusation."**

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_"Be back before the sun goes down. I have things for you to do when you get back, IV."_

Yeah, whatever. As long as IV got to be alone for some time, away from his brothers and his father. They weren't even his family anymore, really. He wouldn't dare consider them that, when they used to be closer together and a lot happier. Ever since his father's disappearance and reappearance, his entire life had turned upside down. He went from being a happy child to a miserable adult, and almost everything he did was a mistake, or ended up being catastrophic in some sense.

Hell, it was thanks to an incident recently that he almost lost his right eye. The reason why he was heading out in the first place was so that he could get his bandages replaced (since they have nothing of the like at home).

Also, that same incident put a girl in the hospital.

He didn't quite know who she was. Kamishiro, that's all he remembered. She was a really pretty girl, he recalled. He remembered dueling her, and somehow, something went awry and resulted in a huge fire that injured the both of them. He was fine compared to her, who was covered almost head to toe in burns. All he lost was maybe his eye.

Even though his face hurt like hell, it was nothing in comparison to her injuries. He deserved a lot more, too.

He didn't know what possessed him to gather up the courage to visit her in the hospital, but the next thing he knew, he was standing outside her room, forehead pressed against the door. His heart was pounding. He didn't know what to expect when he walked in. Would she scream for help? Would she forgive him? What would she do? His stomach was doing flips, and he grabbed onto the doorknob, slowly turning it and walking inside.

There was a boy sitting on a chair, watching over the girl with a somber look on his face. At the sound of the door opening, his head lifted and he turned to look IV in the eye. He was just as beautiful as his sister, with his violet hair and crystal blue eyes... IV wasn't able to stop staring. Despite that, he could still say something to him. "Hey there."

The boy looked IV over, apparently not as fascinated with him as he was to the other. "Who are you?"

"Thomas Arclight," IV answered, closing the door behind him. "And you?"

The purple haired boy glanced at his eye wound, staring at it for a while. "Ryoga Kamishiro. How do you know Rio?"

Rio. That's what her name was. IV flashed him a smile. "I'm a friend of hers. I heard she got hurt in a fire and came to visit her. Are you her brother?"

Ryoga nodded slowly, seemingly buying his small lie and turning back to watch Rio. "Yeah."

"What exactly happened to her?"

He shrugged, slumping back in the chair and twiddling his thumbs. "I have no idea. The only thing I heard was that she was admitted into the hospital after being rescued from a fire." He turned to IV, eyes slightly narrowed. "You wouldn't happen to know anything more about this, do you?"

Yes. He did. He knew it all. It was all his fault she was in here. It was his fault that she was hurt so badly, and that he might lose his eye. He bit his tongue and shook his head.

"Really, now."

IV smirked. "You act like I had something to do with this."

Ryoga's frown deepened. "I have my suspicions."

"Oh?" IV walked over and found another chair to sit on, folding his legs and crossing his arms over his chest. "Tell me."

"What happened to your eye?"

IV had a feeling he would mention that. He shrugged. "Freak accident at home, that's all."

There was a hint of a smile on the Kamishiro boy's lips. "And what was this accident?"

"Don't be nosy, boy," IV snapped. "My personal life is none of your business."

"Fine then." Ryoga gazed back down on his hands. "But until you convince me otherwise, I'm still going to think you're involved with what happened to my sister."

IV arched an eyebrow, pressing his lips in a fine line. "Are you accusing me of being the one to hurt Rio?"

"Not necessarily. I just think you know something and are trying to hide it from me."

"I told you, it was a freak accident." IV glared at him. "What happened to my eye and your sister's accident are two totally different things."

"I sure hope so, or I won't be too happy with you," Ryoga muttered flatly.

The room then grew silent, safe for the small ticking of a clock at the far en of the room. The sun was slowly descending, the glow of a sunset leaking through the window and coloring the room orange. It was already pretty late, but IV didn't want to leave. This kid was annoying as hell, and his being here stopped him from apologizing to Rio, but it sure beat returning home. He glanced at the clock. 18:45. He still had some time.

"You won't be here for much longer, will you?" The boy asked suddenly, snapping IV out of his thoughts. "I was hoping to have the whole day to myself without any other visitors trying to see her."

IV chuckled. "You sound so possessive over your sister. That's so cute." His grin widened when Ryoga tossed him a dirty look. "Listen, you're not the only one who's upset she's here and in the condition she's in."

"I've never seen you before in my life," Ryoga said lowly, glaring at him. "You're a really suspicious person."

IV shrugged. "Whatever, think what you want. I didn't do it."

Ryoga sighed in exasperation, tiredly running his fingers through his hair. He reached over and took Rio's hand in his, holding onto it tightly. IV watched in silence, his smile fading away. There was something reminiscent about Ryoga's treatment to her that made it nearly painful to watch. He was so kind to her, so loving, so caring, and so concerned... everything that IV's brothers and father weren't. Not anymore.

Damn it. Everything was his fault.

"... Hey, Thomas."

IV looked over at him, noting the absence of an expression on his face. "What?"

Ryoga sat back in the chair. "I don't know if I could trust you or not with your whole story, but thanks for coming to see my sister."

A thanks? From Ryoga? His smile partially returned. "Of course I'd come see her. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?"

"Don't think I'm the one who's grateful to you, though," Ryoga muttered, releasing Rio's hand and sitting back. "I'm thanking you on her behalf. She would have said something if she could, not me."

What a jerk. IV chuckled. "Gotcha." He glanced back up at the clock. 18:56. He definitely had to leave now before the sun completely set. He stood from his chair and brushed his back side, heading for the door. "Well, it's late, and I came here too soon to it getting dark outside. I'm leaving now."

Ryoga nodded, not giving him another look. "Don't come back tomorrow."

IV rolled his eyes. "Still thinking I'm the culprit?"

"I don't know, but I want my sister all to myself tomorrow." Ryoga folded his legs. "You can see her some other time."

"Whatever. See you, then," IV waved to him, exiting out the door and closing it behind him. He walked to the elevator, head slightly lowered so none of the doctors in the area would spot the bandages on his face.

The day was almost over. Thank God. Ryoga's accusation of IV putting Rio in the hospital was driving him mad, but only because they both knew it was true. It's only a matter of time before he finds that out, too.


	5. Look

Day 5 of the 30 Day Challenge. Wow, looks like I neglected this for a while, huh? Whoops.

Things got super busy for me regarding school and family. For one thing, I'm starting school in the summer (in about two months now), so I'm preparing for that as much as I can. Second, my family and I have been doing spending more time together _as _a family, rather than individually or in groups of two or three, which is great, but time consuming for me.

I'm back now, though, and this was a pretty long chapter. Let's get on with it then, shall we?

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**This drabble is of Simpletonshipping (Mizael x Alit). The prompt is "Look."**

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He wished there was some way to get his attention.

Mizael had always been a proud one, too proud for his own good, but it is what it is. Everything he did was flashy and flamboyant, and Alit was easily unnerved. He was always under the impression that such acts meant he was overcompensating for something (God knows what), and just the fact that he was such an attention hog was enough to irk him.

And yet, he didn't just talk the talk. He walked the walk too.

His rival was the fearsome and powerful Kaito Tenjo. They were so similar in that their strength was nearly unmatched by any other. Kaito was one of the only people who caught the dragon tamer's eye, besides some others like Durbe, his friend, and Vector, who got a kick out of pissing everyone off.

But what about Alit? What made him stand out and gave him a sense of individuality? Almost nothing at all, that's what. He was just another warrior with an uninteresting story.

So yes. Mizael was annoying in that he thought he was so much better than everyone else, even if he was. It would be nice if one day he could notice Alit, even if for a brief moment.

_I'm going to make a name for myself, _he told himself every now and then, when the blonde entered his sight. _I will make him think highly of me!_

He had tried. He definitely did.

Every now and then, Alit would challenge someone to a duel; other humans, usually, and Yuma Tsukumo, his great friend. Often he would notice a former Varian watching him from afar. Nine times out of ten it was Gilag, cheering him on and rooting for him to win. Every once in a while, Nasch, Merag, Durbe, and sometimes even Vector gave him a speck of their attention, smiles occasionally flashing over their faces at the height of the excitement. And even rarer still, Mizael would be there to watch, scrutinizing his every move and giving him listless, if not slightly condescending, looks and responses. Oh God, those hurt him so much more than the damage he would take from the duel.

One occasion looked like this:

"Not a problem," he muttered to himself with a wide grin. "I'll impress him this time!"

He blinked in surprise Yuma activated a trap after he declared an attack, resulting in his monster getting destroyed. He swallowed hardly and glanced past his rival's shoulder to see Mizael shake his head in disgust, frowning deeply. Damn it.

Alit took a heavy hit from Yuma's monster Hope, a direct attack at that, and was sent flying backwards. He hit the ground with a cry and a loud thud. It took him a while to get back up, and all he could hear, besides Yuma's calls of "are you ok?" was a small mumble of disapproval from the blonde. How embarrassing.

Yes, Alit's monster landed a hit! Hope wasn't destroyed, thanks to Yuma activating a trap, but he still received battle damage. He flew back a good number of feet, groaning and struggling to get back up. Alit called out to him asking if he was alright, earning a "yeah I'm fine," in response. His eyes wandered up to see Mizael's expression, heart sinking as he found it blank. Not even a move like that was good enough to impress him? Ugh.

It was only a matter of time before Alit lost the duel. Yuma was just too good. By that time, though, Mizael was already gone, having wandered off to accompany Durbe or someone else instead.

And despite all the encouragement and sympathy he received from Yuma and his peers alike, none was enough to help him forget the apathy of the blonde. Damn him. Why was he so hard to please?

Once, he got the courage to challenge Mizael himself. He lost, obviously, and too soon for his liking. But what made his loss hurt even more was the deriding smirks and passive-aggressive insults Mizael would say and give to him.

"I thought you were better than this. You did nearly defeat Tsukumo Yuma, didn't you?"

"So sorry Alit, but I anticipated a counterattack. Where was it?"

"At least you were bold enough to challenge me. I'll give you that much."

But it wasn't enough. Eye contact, short exchanges of words, his acceptance to duel Alit when he asks—none of it. He needed more. He needed to impress him. But this wasn't enough.

One day, Alit had had enough. He wasn't sure what possessed him to act so feisty and aggressive, but he stormed over to Mizael and grabbed his collar, pulling him in closer and rambling in his face. Many of the kids in the hallways stopped and gasped, both shocked and perhaps even slightly angry at his sudden rash actions against their classmate. "Yo, Mizael! I don't know what your damn problem is, but I'm tired of you looking down on me the way you do!"

Mizael lifted his chin up so Alit wouldn't breathe on his face, but to the shorter boy, it looked like he was glaring condescendingly at him. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he stated flatly.

"Quit pretending like you don't know," Alit growled, pulling him in even closer. "I've tried so hard, you know? I've busted my ass in lots of duels lately to get you to think of me as your equal. And all you ever do is roll your eyes and walk away."

"My equal?" Mizael arched a brow, a hint of an amused smile curving his lips. "Don't kid yourself, Alit. My only equal is Kaito Tenjo. No one else is good enough."

Augh, those words stung him. Alit clenched his jaws tightly, for some strange reason, and his words caught in his throat. His efforts to get some sort of approval from him were all in vain, weren't they? He should have figured as much from the start. But he didn't want to believe it. He just wanted some praise from someone he admired.

It seemed too much to ask for, though. He was more likely to get something out of Vector than Mizael. (Ok, that was kind of an exaggeration, really. Vector would just mock him.)

"Alit," Gilag reached over to place a hand over Alit's shoulder, lightly tugging him away from the blonde. "You should let go. You're going to get in trouble."

Alit frowned at him; "I don't care right now." He leered back at Mizael. "You say no one else is good enough to be your equal? Screw it! I'm going to prove you wrong."

"Oh?" The dragon tamer chuckled, his hand reaching up to grab the gladiator's in an attempt to yank his shirt free. "I'd like to see you try."

Alit narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip, pulling him in even closer so that their noses nearly touch. "Alright then. Don't overlook me anymore, you got that?" Without giving him time to respond, Alit yanked Mizael in and crushed their lips together in a kiss, ignoring the stiffening of his body and the heat radiating from the other's face. He held them that way for a few long seconds, a bit surprised at the lack of Mizael's effort to break free, and then shoved him away. He glanced over his face and inwardly smirked at the wide eyes and flushed cheeks. He looked so… not inferior, but smaller, with such a dumbfounded look. It was cute.

But wasn't it always so refreshing to knock a proud person down a peg or two? It sure was to Alit.

He turned around and waved half-heartedly to Mizael, ignoring the looks and words the students around him exchanged to one another. "Whatever. Guess I'll see you around then."

"Wait, Alit."

The gladiator stopped in his tracks and turned only his head back to look at him. He was still amused to see Mizael blushing and watched as he wiped his mouth on his wrist with a slightly disgusted look on his face. "Yeah?"

Mizael stood taller again in an attempt to regain some composure. "After school, out in the front of the campus; let's have a rematch. Don't be late."

Alit blinked, a little taken aback. After that awkward kiss in front of many kids in the hallway, he wanted a duel? What was running through his head, he wondered…

Oh well. Can't say no to a challenge. He grinned and gave him a small nod. "Sure, if ya want." He waited until the blonde nodded back in acknowledgement, smirking as he broke eye contact and turned his back to him. Without another word, they walked in opposite directions.

Gilag walked after Alit, watching Mizael until he was out of sight. "You sure this is a good idea? He's really strong, you know. Haven't you already dueled him once this week and got your butt handed to you?"

Alit scoffed, brushing his hair from his face. "He got lucky. I can take him on no problem, just like how Vector actually stood a chance against Nasch. Anything's possible!"

"Well, good luck with it anyway."

In the distance, Mizael ran into Durbe, who was within earshot of the incident between him and Alit. He quickly turned away to avoid looking him in the eye, but Durbe had already caught up with him and was unable to escape a conversation. "What do you want, Durbe?"

"What happened just now?" his bespectacled friend asked, standing in front of Mizael so he couldn't walk past him. "Did you get in a confrontation with Alit?"

The dragon tamer nodded, sighing a bit and raking his fingers through his hair. "I did. He was upset at how I underestimated his dueling skills."

Durbe shook his head."You do have the habit of looking down on everyone you meet, Mizael. I don't entirely blame him for feeling so belittled by someone he admires."

Mizael looked up at him in silence. Alit admired him? Really? Why him over someone like Yuma, or Nasch? He pressed his lips in a fine line before reaching up to caress them with his fingertips, cheeks turning pink again in memory of the kiss. "His dueling skills may only be up to par, but his charisma is something else…"

Durbe stared at the hand on his friend's mouth in bemusement. "What makes you say that?"

"I overlooked him because his dueling didn't compare to mine, but," he sighed again, "as far as being unique and enigmatic goes… I must admit, he surpasses me by a lot."

"He kissed you, didn't he?"

"… Perhaps."


End file.
